Show-case.



J. T. BATTS.

SHOW CASE.

APPLICATION FILED 11017.6, 1910.

Patented Oct. 31, 1911.

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SHOW CASE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 5, 1910.

Patented Oct. 31, 1911.

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J. T. BATTS.

SHOW CASE.

APPLIOATION FILED NOV. 5, 1910.

Patented 001;. 31, 1911.

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JOHN THOMAS BATTS, OF GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN.

SHOW-CASE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 31, 1911.

Application filed November 5, 1910. Serial No. 590,881.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN THOMAS BATTS, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Grand Rapids, in the county of Kent and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Show-Cases; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in show cases, and more particularly to show cases adapted to contain garments and provided with garment supports'adapted to be projected outward from the case. Its 0bj ect is to provide improved means for movably supporting the front closure or door of the case, and to provide the device with various new and useful features, and it consists essentially of a movable garment support mounted in the upper part of the case and adapted to be moved outward from within the same, a door for the case mounted upon and carried by the garment supporting device, and guide members to guide the door to place when the same is closed, whereby when the garment supporting device is moved outward, the door is carried outward thereon to open the case and permit removal of the garments, and when the said device is moved inward, the door is carried to closed position, as will more fully appear by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective of a device embodying my invention with one of the compartments opened out for removal of the garments therefrom, showing a double case with garments removable at opposite sides thereof; Fig. 2 a vertical section of a show case having my device applied thereto; Fig. 3 a detail of a portion of the same in horizontal section; Fig. 4 a detail of the movable garment support partially in vertical sect-ion and in front view; Fig. 5 the same of the rear guiding member of the said support; Fig. 6 an enlarged detail of the latch and handle in front elevation; Fig. 7 the same partially in section at right angles to Fig. 6; Fig. 8 a perspective of a modified structure; Fig. 9 a detail of the supporting means of the same shown in plan view; Fig. 10 a detail partially in vertical section and partially in elevation viewed from the front; and Fig. 11 the same viewed in reverse direction to Fig. 9.

Like numbers refer to like parts in all of the figures.

1 represents a show case made mainly of glass and provided with a suitable skeleton frame showing a double structure in Fig. 1, but obviously a single structure as in Fig. 8 would be essentially the same. The front of this case is provided with suitable pilasters 2 spaced apart, and a top rail 3 which together with the base forms a skeleton frame for the front, the openings of which are closed by movable closures or doors 4, each preferably consisting of a narrow frame surrounding a glass panel whereby the front of the show case is mainly of glass with the pilasters at intervals, and the frames of the doors adapted to fit therebetween, and thus securely close the entire front of the case. These doors or closures have heretofore been mounted either on hinges or arranged to turn at right angles to the closed position and move edgewise back into the case. Obviously, there are some objections to either of these methods which are overcome by my device, which device consists essentially of astrong movable garment supporting member adapted to be moved outward from within the case, and on the outer end of which is mounted the door or closure carried bodily thereon parallel to the front of the case and moved to open or closed position as the member is moved.

One form of my device consists preferably of T-bars 5 mounted in the top of the case in any convenient-manner, beneath'which is supported a longitudinally movable supporting member 6 on which the garments are hung. This member is carried on a roller 13 near the front of the case supported in the case by a hanger 12 secured to the front rail 3 of the case, extendingdownward at one side of the member 6, and spaced apart therefrom, whereby the garment hangers are permitted to pass the same as the member 6 is moved outward and inward, asillustrated in Fig. 4. The member 6 is tubular and a guide rod 7 is slidable therein having its rear end carried by a hanger 8 supported on the T-bar 5 and provided with rollers 9 traversing the horizontal flanges of the bar. The rear end of the member 6 is also provided with a head 10 having jaws 11 slidably embracing the horizontal member of &

the bar 5 to further aid in guiding the inner end of the member 6 as it moved outward and inward. As so far described it constitutes a known form of movable garment support adapted to use in my device.

The door or closure 4 for the case is rigidly secured at its upper end to the outer end of the member 6, and at its lower end is preferably further held vertical by a brace consisting of a rod 1 1 extending downward from the head 10 to opposite the lower rail of the door, and thence horizontally as at 15 to the said rail and secured thereto. The horizontal portion 15 of the brace slides in a guide 15, whereby it also prevents the door from swinging laterally at. the bottom. At the top of the door is provided a handle 16 preferably as shown in Figs. 6 and 7, which is pivotally suspended on a plate 21 near the upper edge of the door and close to the upper rail 3, and also extended inward in a suitable recess in the door and terminates in a hook 20 adapted to engage a recess 3 in the under side of the rail 3 and hold the door closed, the hook being held in engagement by the weight of the handle 16. By means of this handle, the hook is disengaged and the door drawn forward, being carried on the front of the garment support in a vertical position as the same is drawn out of the case. To further guide the door to place when closed, inclined guide members 43 extend inward from the lower end of the door and pass between the pilasters 2, thus accurately guiding the door to place between the pilasters.

To stop the movable supports when run into the case and to support the T-bars at the middle of a double case as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, I provide a vertical post or standard 17 resting on the floor of the case at the lower end, attached to the T-bars 5 at the upper end, and supporting the same.

The modified structure shown in Figs. 8, 9, 10, and 11 is intended to adapt the device for hanging trousers and also to dispense with the guiding members 14, 15, and 4-. These figures also show a single instead of a double show case. In this modified structure there is added two additional garment supporting rods 6 spaced apart midway between the middle rod 6 of the previously described device and the sides of the show case or compartment. These side rods are connected to the respective ends of the middle rod 6 by transverse bars 6" and 6, and all three of these rods are attached to the door 4 at the front end and supported on respective rollers 13 mounted on hangers 12 and traverse the same simultaneously. These three rods and their connecting members thus form a substantial and rigid frame and carry the door in vertical position, being supported in horizontal relation by the said rollers and brackets, and

thus prevent the door from swinging laterally at the bottom. This structure provides a convenient device on which to hang trousers or other narrow articles, upon the two side rods 6 in two rows, or a single row of coats or wider garments may be hung on the middle support 6 as preferred.

From the foregoing description, the operation of my device is quite obvious. lVhenever the garment supports are drawn outward in the usual manner for removing the garments, the door is carried out in vertical position and again carried to place as the garment support is run back into the case. This structure is also simple, easy of manufacture, and requires no separate manipulation of the door, the one single movement of drawing out the garment support also moving the door outward to open position, and the reverse movement returning the door to place, thus providing a very satisfactory and simple device for the purpose of effectually inolosing a movable garment support within a glass show case.

hat I claim is 1. The combination of a case having an open end provided with pilasters and a top rail, an outwardly movable garment support in the case, a door to close the end of the case carried on the outer end of the support, and an inwardly projecting inclined guide member, on the door near each lower corner thereof.

2. The combination of a case having an open front provided with pilasters and a top rail, a plurality of parallel garment supports arranged in the same horizontal plane and simultaneously movable outward from within the case and back again, a door to close the case attached to the said garment supports and carried thereby and a brace ex tending from the movable part of the garment support to near the bottom of the door.

3. The combination of acase, a middle support adapted to be moved from within the case outward and back again, a garment supporting rod at each side of said middle support arranged parallel to the same and spaced apart therefrom, said support and rods being connected at the rear by a transverse bar, and a door secured to the outer ends of said support and rods and carried thereby.

1. The combination of a case having an open front provided with pilasters and a top rail, garment supports arranged parallel and spaced apart and rigidly attached to each other by a transverse bar, a roller and hanger to carry each of said garment supports attached to the top rail of the case, and a door carried by the outer end of said supports to close the front of the case.

5. The combination of a case having an open front provided with pilasters and a ried on the outer end of said supports to 10 close the front of the case.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

JOHN THOMAS BATT S.

Witnesses:

PALMER A. J ONES, L. V. MOULTON.

top rail, a middle support Within the case and adapted to project outward therefrom, a T-bar and a guide rod for said middle support, garment supporting rods at the respective sides of said middle support and spaced apart therefrom, bars connecting the respective ends of the said supports, rollers mounted on hangers attached to the top rail and carrying said supports, and a door car- Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

